Shoe bag



Sept. 8, 1931. A. MANSKER E11-Al.

SHOE BAG Filed May 23, 1930 woentow .I In the packaging `of shoes for thel retailV Patented Sept. 8, 1931 UNirEn srArs A'rer LEVER/MORE FALLS,

MAINE, ASSIGNORS TO PEPPERELL MANUFACTU'RENG COM- PANY, or BosToN,1vrASSACHUSnTTS, A CORPORATION orl 'MASSACHUSETTS SHOE BAG Application led May 23, 1930. Serial No. 455,100.

Our 'invention relates to receptacles, and more particularly toa novel type of bag having certain objects Vand advantages which will be brieiiy indicated.

market the practice of encasing each pair of shoes inanindividual cardboard box has long been followed. The covers of these boxes never make an entirely dustproof fit. To protect the shoes from dust and to prevent their becoming shopworn, it has been customary to wrap them in tissue paper before placing them inside the box. Discriminating manufacturers and retailers of shoes have long been dissatisfied with these tissue paper wrappings, since the paper soon becomes mussed, soiled and torn before ultimate sale of the shoes on account of frequent removals from and replacements in the box in the retail store for purposes of display, Vtrial fittings by prospective purchasers, etc.

It has recently been proposed to encase each individual shoe or each pair of shoes inside the usual cardboard box in textile cloth or a textile cloth bag. Besides aifording the desired protection from dust and the like, such wrappings possess the advantage of providing for the shoes a neat and attractive package dress from which they may be removed and into which they may be replaced as often as desired without detracting` in the slightest from the appearance of the shoes' or their Wrapping.

Our present invention contemplates a novel type of bag adapted to such u se which will be attractive in appearance, simple in construction and exceedingly inexpensive to manufacture. f f

One object of the invention is to provide a bag having a novel type of closure which is secured in place during the process of manufacturing the bag, which may be manipulated to uncover an opening in the bag for the purpose of permitting a commodity to be introduced into the bag, and which may then be manipulated to cover the opening and retain the commodity inside the bag-all of these operations being performed without effecting any connection or disconnection of the parts of the bag or its closure.

y Other and further objects and advantages y vof our invention, as well as a variety of uses to which embodiments thereof are adapted, will be apparent asthe description proceeds. Our invention is more particularly pointed out in theclaims which are appended hereto, being illustrated in one form of embodiment inthe accompanying drawingsand described in the following specification. y

\ vIn the accompanying drawings which form part of this application for Letters Patent, and in which the samereference character-is used to designate similar parts in the several" views: Y v

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a bag constructed accordingto the principle of our invention, in its empty condition prior to the first step-in the filling'operation; y A

, Fig. 2 is a central vertical section showing the bag at the end of the first step in the filling operation; c f

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view showing the bag filled and closed, with its contents Shown in dotted lines; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view on a reduced scale of a suggested shape of blank from which a preferred type of bag maybe made.v

Referring now to the drawings, a bagrmade according to the principles vof our present in.- vention is constructed preferably from a singler blank of suitable material, such as textile fabric or the like formed into the shape shown in Fig. 4. The general shape of the bag forms no part of our invention, depending :largely upon the character of the goods which it is intended to contain. Since the bag shown in the drawings as one specific embodiment of our inventiony is designed primarily to con-- tain a single shoe or a pair of shoes, it is conveniently made substantially rectangularin elevation, as shown in Fig. 3, being, however, more or less pointed at its closed end or bottom. 4

Vhether formed from a single blank as shown in F 4, or from a plurality of separate pieces of material, or otherwise7 the bag will necessarily have a front and a back, designated respectively, l and 2 in the drawings. The front and back portions areassociated permanently together by means of stitching or in any convenient manner, to form a bag with closed sides and bottom and an opening at its top. It is of the essence of this invention that the bag have a flap adjacent to and adapted to overhang its open top, and we have found it convenient and economical to provide for this flap by making the back portion of the bag substantially longer than the front portion, as appears from the shape of the blank in Fig. 4. it will be apparent, of course, that this flap, which is designated 3 in the drawings, may, if desired, be formed from a separate piece of material, and stitched or otherwise associated with the back portion of the bag.

In any event, the flap 3, however formed, is adapted normally to vbe disposed over the opening in the top of the bag between the front and back portions thereof, and to eX- tenda short distance down the front portion.

Secured to this flap, preferably to the centerV of its free edge portion, is a connection 4, conveniently made of elastic tape; and the other end of this connection is secured at 5 to the'closed bottom of the bag or in close proximity thereto. The ends of the tape are fastened to the bag material by means of stitching or in any convenient manner. .As shown in the drawings, the length of the tape 4 is substantiallyV equal to the distance between the free end of the flap and the bottom of the bag when the flap is folded over the front of the bag. Inother words, the length of the tape isequal to the difference between the length of the front portion and the length of the flap, 4so that when the bag is empty and its parts are disposed as shown in Fig. l, the tape will serve tohold the flap down over the front portion of the bag under no'tension and with a minimum of looseness or play.

When the bag'is to be iilled with a single shoe, a pair of shoes, or other commodity, it is first transformed from the condition of Fig. l to that of Fig. 2; i. e., the flap 3 and tape 4 are moved from the front to the rear of the bag. This operation serves to uncover the open top of the bag, andmakes it possible to insert into the bag the commodity which it is intended to contain. When the bag has received its contents, the flap 3 and tape 4 are moved from their positions of Fig. 2 back to those of Fig. l, thus causing the tape to hold the flap down over the front of the bag and across the opening in the top thereof, efectually encasing the contents, as shown in It will be appreciated that' the bag which we have invented and hereinabove described is capable of the use which has just been explained because of its novel relation of flap and connection, and because of the limp and supple character of its constituent elements. In this connection we wish to point ont the fa ct that whi le the ease and facility of filling and emptying our bagare enhanced by form* ing the connection 4 of elastic material, this element 4 may, if desired, be made 0f inextensible cord, tape or the like, without departing from the principle of our invention or materially lessening the usefulness of the 1 bag. Whether an elastic or a non-elastic connection 4 is used, the filled bag is opened by rotating the bag and its contents upon their longitudinal axis relatively to the connection and flap, which are held against rotation with the rest of the bag. If the connection 4 be non-elastic, advantage is taken during the opening operation of the limpness of the bag material to make this relative movement possible. When an elastic connection 4 is usedit is stretched slightly in the relative movement ofthe parts during the opening operation. We prefer, in the interest of facility and expedition'in opening the filled bag, tomake the tape of elastic material.

It is to be understood that we have in this application for Letters Patent exemplified our invention in only one preferred form of embodiment.V Other and further modificationsv will readily suggest themselves to meet v varying conditions of useand preference of the user, but all such modifications, to the eX- tent that they embody the principles of the invention as pointed out in the appended claims, are to be deemed within the scope and purview thereof.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A flexible fabric bag having a closed end and an open end, aflap adjacent the open end and adapted to be folded over the open end, and a connection permanently secured at one end to the free end of the flap and at its other end to the closed end of the bag.

2. A bag having a closed end and an open end, a flap adjacent the open end and adapted to be folded over the open end, and an elastic connection permanently secured at one end to the free end of the flap and at its other end to the closed end of the bag.

3. A flexible fabric bag having a closed bottom and an opening at its other end, a Hap formed of the material of the bag and disposed adj acent to said opening, a tape having one end permanently secured to the free end of the flap and its other end secured to the closed bottom of the bag.

4. A bag having a closed bottom and an opening at its other end, a flap formed of the material of the bag and disposed adjacent to said opening, an elastic tape having one end permanently secured to the free end of thel iiap and its other end secured to the closed bottom of the bag.

5. A receptacle comprising a relatively short front portion and a relatively long back portion united together to form a bag having a closed bottom and an opening in its top, the excess length of the back portion conlle,-

sttuting a flap adapted to be folded over the front portion to cover the opening in the top of the bag, and an elastic tape of a length substantially equal to the distance between the freeend of the flap and the bottom of the bag When the flap is folded over the front of the bag, said tape being connected to the lfree end of the Hap and to the bottom of the In testimony whereof We aiix our signatures.

ABRAHAM MANSKER. DAVID BAUM. 

